All new research findings from IGP

Researchers at IGP have together with American colleagues identified a weakness in the most serious types of malignant brain tumours in children. By using a combination of two different drugs they could inhibit both the cell cycle and the enhancer system in the cell, which was necessary to efficiently kill the brain tumour cells. The results have been published in the scientific journal Oncogene.

By using self-sampling followed by HPV test more than twice as many women that risk developing cervical cancer could be identified and offered preventive treatment. This is shown in a study by Ulf Gyllensten’s research group, published in British Journal of Cancer.

Diseases in brain blood vessels are among the most common causes of death in developed countries but our knowledge about these vessels is still limited. In an article published today in the journal Nature, researchers from IGP present a detailed molecular characterisation of the cells that make up the blood vessels of the brain and the crucial barrier that they form – the blood-brain barrier. The characterisation indicates which blood vessel cell types are involved in diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and brain tumours.

Immune cells obtained from cancer patients have long been used as vaccines for cancer treatment, with some success. A recent study from IGP shows that in a similar fashion immune cells obtained from healthy donors can activate the needed immune cells and lead to robust and specific immune responses. The findings indicate a possibility to create a cancer vaccine that can readily be used for many patients.

Patients with chronic kidney disease present a progressive decline in kidney function. Independent of its underlying cause, fibrosis in the kidney, i.e an excess of connective tissue, is predictive of the kidney function decline. A recent study from IGP shows a correlation between the protein Angiopoietin-1 and fibrosis development in mouse kidneys. This suggests that manipulations to maintain Angiopoietin-1 levels could slow down fibrosis progression.